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Updated: Mar 27, 2026

ALS - Motor Neuron Disease: Mechanism and Development of New Therapies
Published on: July 29, 2007
Axonopathy: mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases
Ruinan Shen1, Kijung Sung2, Jianqing Ding3
1Institute of Neurology, Ruijing Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Axons are unique structural and functional features of nerve cells, which play a critical role in regulating neuronal homeostasis. Dysfunction and degeneration of axons (axonopathy) has been established as an early and prominent contributing mechanism to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this review, we briefly summarize the structure and function of axons, and highlight recent advances in the understanding of the role of axons in health and disease. We argue that axons are a potential target for developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
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